Encountering Yaqīnī While Searching for al-Warrāq: The Authorship and Content of the Risāla-i Tasawwuf Attributed to Abū Bakr al-Warrāq (d. 280/893)
CUMHURIYET ILAHIYAT DERGISI-CUMHURIYET THEOLOGY JOURNAL, cilt.30, sa.1, ss.362-380, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 30 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.18505/cuid.1863835
- Dergi Adı: CUMHURIYET ILAHIYAT DERGISI-CUMHURIYET THEOLOGY JOURNAL
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, ATLA Religion Database, Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS), Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Directory of Open Access Journals, MLA International Bibliography, Religion Database (ProQuest)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.362-380
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Erciyes Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Sufi authors such as al-Kalabadhi (d. 380/990), al-Sulami (d. 412/1021), al-Qushayri (d. 465/1072), and al-Hujw & imacr;r & imacr; (d. 465/1072[?]) mention Abu Bakr al-Warraq (d. 280/893), a S & umacr;f & imacr; who lived in Balkh in the third/ninth century, and record that he authored works on tasawwuf. Based on this information, a Persian prose treatise titled Risala-yi Tasawwuf housed in the S & uuml;leymaniye Library, which is attributed to al-Warr & amacr;q, draws particular attention. While al-Warr & amacr;q's origin from Tirmidh and his residence in Balkh make the possibility of his authorship of a Persian work plausible, the text-which lacks an author's name in the introduction-contains citations from S & umacr;f & imacr;s such as Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 672/1273) and Fakhr al-D & imacr;n 'Ir & amacr;q & imacr; (d. 688/1289) in its very first pages. These citations definitively prove that the work does not belong to al-Warr & amacr;q. Furthermore, in the colophon (kataba) at the end of the treatise, the author's name is explicitly recorded as "Katibuh & umacr; Derv & imacr;sh Yusuf & imacr;-yi Haydar & imacr; bi'l-mashhur Yaq & imacr;n & imacr;." Additionally, within the treatise itself, Yaqini (d. 15th c.) explicitly records his name while referring to another treatise of his own, titled Basharatnama. Since the author is explicitly mentioned both within the text and at its conclusion, the issue of attribution is effectively resolved. It is understood that the attribution of the work to al-Warraq stems from an error made during cataloging. The source of this error appears to be the inscription on the first page of the majmu'a (anthology) containing the treatise, which reads "Risala-yi tasawwuf min 'ilm al-akhlaq li'l-Shaykh Ab & imacr; Bakr al-Warr & amacr;q." Consequently, it is evident that the treatise was cataloged under al-Warr & amacr;q's name without examination.This study examines the manuscript in question, which was inadvertently attributed to al-Warraq, employing methods of historical and textual criticism. The attribution of the work has been re-determined through an analysis of the manuscript's physical characteristics, the colophon, and internal historical references (cited figures and terminology). The content of the work has been analyzed in terms of the history and doctrine of tasawwuf, thereby establishing its place within Yaqini's system of thought. The aim of this study is to correct the error regarding the work's attribution, to alert researchers to a hitherto unknown treatise by Yaqini-one of the prominent poets of Chaghatay literature-and to evaluate its content. Until now, it was assumed that only a small prose treatise titled Ok-yayn & imath;ng Munazaras & imath;, written in Chaghatay Turkish, had survived from Yaq & imacr;n & imacr;. With this article, a new treatise reflecting his intellectual structure comes to light for the first time; thus, this study opens a door to exploring Yaqini's world of thought. Moreover, the content of the work provides an opportunity to discuss whether Yaqini can be associated with ibaha, hulul, and even Hurufism. This study will pave the way for new research in which this discussion is raised by experts in the field and Yaqini's relationship with these circles is interrogated.